The embodiments herein relate generally to an aircraft tow head apparatus.
A tow head assembly is mounted on the tow bar of a towing vehicle and configured to engage with the tow pin of an aircraft located near the landing gear. This allows the towing vehicle to engage with the aircraft landing gear for movement and travel of the aircraft to the intended position. A tow head assembly for use with aircraft tow pins is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,418, which is a tow head assembly comprising side plates and an adjustable cam to engage and lock the aircraft tow pin between the side plates and the cam. However, this tow head assembly is limited because the side plates are not adjustable to accommodate aircraft tow pins having different sized diameters. Tow pin diameters vary depending on the type of aircraft. As such, it is inefficient for the towing vehicle operator to replace the tow head assembly on a tow bar in order to accommodate a new aircraft with a different sized tow pin.
As such, there is a need in the industry for a tow head apparatus that can be easily adjusted to engage and lock aircraft tow pins with different sized diameters.